secretly eating healthy at restaurants?

24

Replies

  • subjecttwo
    subjecttwo Posts: 29 Member
    Chains in the US with over 20 locations have to have that info available. Honestly, I wish they all had to have it. Printed right on the menu would be great.
    I get that sometimes too. The other day at my job, the office had $5 Little Cesar's pizzas. It's a small office, so it was really obvious and weird that I didn't have any. Pizza is great, but if I'm going to have a lunch with that high of calories, it's going to be from somewhere delicious instead of that crap. I just don't explain, it's not anyone else's business ;)
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    Tell them you will order anything they want as long as they pay for it.

    Or just laugh it off.

    Tell them you are still deciding but go ahead and order you'll be done in a sec and then go last and order what you want.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    Chains in the US with over 20 locations have to have that info available. Honestly, I wish they all had to have it. Printed right on the menu would be great.
    I get that sometimes too. The other day at my job, the office had $5 Little Cesar's pizzas. It's a small office, so it was really obvious and weird that I didn't have any. Pizza is great, but if I'm going to have a lunch with that high of calories, it's going to be from somewhere delicious instead of that crap. I just don't explain, it's not anyone else's business ;)

    :noway: :angry:

    Little Caesars is one of my most missed foods. :laugh:
  • Trad_Barbie
    Trad_Barbie Posts: 166 Member
    I think the "wish" you responded to meant that if calorie information were listed for every food item, then the current "lite and fit" type items would blend in with the rest of the menu and she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb ordering from a specific menu segment :smile:

    I see that point. But "I'll take the grilled chicken skewers with the pineapple salsa!" sounds the same whether you order it off a menu with a 'lite and fit' section or one where it's all listed together. Listing those nutrition facts is what makes it stand out to begin with, not that the rest of it doesn't have any listed.

    Edit: typos.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Why don't you just tell your friends to shove off and let you eat whatever you please? Not really their business, now is it?

    I do agree having a "lite and fit" menu is annoying. I feel like I'm being judged every time I order off of it. I wish everyone would just list the nutritional information and call it a day.

    The problem with that is that there is literally nothing that's below 1,000 calories on most chain restaurant menus. Unless it's otherwise stated or obvious (small dinner salad, ect.) Places like Applebee's? Chili's? Good luck. And overhauling their menu's all at once would be really costly and inefficient.

    Edited for typo correction.

    But Adding calorie information seems like it would be a small modification. The overhaul shouldn't be that expensive when they have to do it several times a year to advertise their specials. I don't think a bit of extra ink costs that much more , personally.

    I was referring to the cost of making everything less caloric/healthier/whatever. If everything on the menu is over 1,000 calories and everyone can see it, then people are going to start whining about how there's nothing on their menu's that supports a low-calorie diet, or how everything is deep fried, or this or that. You give them the nutritional facts, they want lower calorie options, you give them that and suddenly why not ban deep fat fried food altogether? Why not just go to a different restaurant? People wanted low calorie options at chains so they could go out and eat with their families and friends, and they were given that.
    Putting the calorie content of their menu items is a bucket of worms no one really wants or needs to open.
    The labeled 'lower-calorie options were an attempt at giving people what they wanted without exposing them to the high caloric content of the food they serve. it would hurt business and could generate bad press, which in turn hurts profit.

    Guess we're about to find out if printing the nutritional info will work as effectively as you think it will! Cos if it does, Congrats, you may have just solved the obesity problem
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    I think the "wish" you responded to meant that if calorie information were listed for every food item, then the current "lite and fit" type items would blend in with the rest of the menu and she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb ordering from a specific menu segment :smile:

    I see that point. But "I'll take the grilled chicken skewers with the pineapple salsa!" sounds the same whether you order it off a menu with a 'lite and fit' section or one where it's all listed together. Listing those nutrition facts is what makes it stand out to begin with, not that the rest of it doesn't have any listed.

    Edit: typos.

    The one that doesn't have calories listed could have ingredients in it that bring it up to 1500 calories. Am I making this stuff up?
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Why don't you just tell your friends to shove off and let you eat whatever you please? Not really their business, now is it?

    I do agree having a "lite and fit" menu is annoying. I feel like I'm being judged every time I order off of it. I wish everyone would just list the nutritional information and call it a day.

    The problem with that is that there is literally nothing that's below 1,000 calories on most chain restaurant menus. Unless it's otherwise stated or obvious (small dinner salad, ect.) Places like Applebee's? Chili's? Good luck. And overhauling their menu's all at once would be really costly and inefficient.

    Edited for typo correction.

    But Adding calorie information seems like it would be a small modification. The overhaul shouldn't be that expensive when they have to do it several times a year to advertise their specials. I don't think a bit of extra ink costs that much more , personally.

    I was referring to the cost of making everything less caloric/healthier/whatever. If everything on the menu is over 1,000 calories and everyone can see it, then people are going to start whining about how there's nothing on their menu's that supports a low-calorie diet, or how everything is deep fried, or this or that. You give them the nutritional facts, they want lower calorie options, you give them that and suddenly why not ban deep fat fried food altogether? Why not just go to a different restaurant? People wanted low calorie options at chains so they could go out and eat with their families and friends, and they were given that.
    Putting the calorie content of their menu items is a bucket of worms no one really wants or needs to open.
    The labeled 'lower-calorie options were an attempt at giving people what they wanted without exposing them to the high caloric content of the food they serve. it would hurt business and could generate bad press, which in turn hurts profit.

    You can't honestly tell me you're arguing that the success of a business is more important than the right of people to know what they are putting in their bodies. Businesses are supposed to be somewhat transparent because the CUSTOMERS decide whether they succeed or fail. If customers see the nutrition facts and choose to eat somewhere else - that's competition. It's how business works. Now they have to change to keep making more money. If they don't, they will lose profit. How else exactly do you want the market to work?

    The customers do want and need to open the "bucket of worms" that is nutrition facts - I have a RIGHT to know what I'm putting in my body and as a result, I will be avoiding eating establishments that refuse to tell me what they are serving me.

    Lol, so you'll only eat at chain restaurants with posted nutrition information?

    If enough customers wanted that information, it'd be provided. What we don't need is more regulations mandating such information.
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
    "Businesses should be less convenient for customers. Customers are lazy."
    "All healthy food sounds the same - dieters should just order dry grilled chicken salads all the time."

    You have no concept of how a business market is supposed to work and frankly, you seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of what a sustainable healthy lifestyle is. If customers aren't happy, businesses fail. Customers who are monitoring their food intake don't need to be punished with boring food.
  • Trad_Barbie
    Trad_Barbie Posts: 166 Member
    I think the "wish" you responded to meant that if calorie information were listed for every food item, then the current "lite and fit" type items would blend in with the rest of the menu and she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb ordering from a specific menu segment :smile:

    I see that point. But "I'll take the grilled chicken skewers with the pineapple salsa!" sounds the same whether you order it off a menu with a 'lite and fit' section or one where it's all listed together. Listing those nutrition facts is what makes it stand out to begin with, not that the rest of it doesn't have any listed.

    Edit: typos.

    The one that doesn't have calories listed could have ingredients in it that bring it up to 1500 calories. Am I making this stuff up?

    No. You're demanding someone else make it easier for you to eat out and stay within a calorie budget.
  • Trad_Barbie
    Trad_Barbie Posts: 166 Member
    Guess we're about to find out if printing the nutritional info will work as effectively as you think it will! Cos if it does, Congrats, you may have just solved the obesity problem

    :drinker: Cheers.
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
    Lol, so you'll only eat at chain restaurants with posted nutrition information?

    If enough customers wanted that information, it'd be provided. What we don't need is more regulations mandating such information.

    I won't eat at any restaurant that doesn't tell me what is in their food, because I believe strongly in my right to be informed. I imagine anyone with any kind of restricted diet or food allergy would feel the same.

    I wasn't arguing that the regulations need to be there. I was arguing against the idea that people shouldn't expect businesses to conform to what they want. Profits come second to customers.
  • Trad_Barbie
    Trad_Barbie Posts: 166 Member
    Lol, so you'll only eat at chain restaurants with posted nutrition information?

    If enough customers wanted that information, it'd be provided. What we don't need is more regulations mandating such information.

    Thank you. More rules don't equate to more success.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    I think the "wish" you responded to meant that if calorie information were listed for every food item, then the current "lite and fit" type items would blend in with the rest of the menu and she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb ordering from a specific menu segment :smile:

    I see that point. But "I'll take the grilled chicken skewers with the pineapple salsa!" sounds the same whether you order it off a menu with a 'lite and fit' section or one where it's all listed together. Listing those nutrition facts is what makes it stand out to begin with, not that the rest of it doesn't have any listed.

    Edit: typos.

    The one that doesn't have calories listed could have ingredients in it that bring it up to 1500 calories. Am I making this stuff up?

    No. You're demanding someone else make it easier for you to eat out and stay within a calorie budget.

    I'm not demanding anything. I'm having a conversation with someone who misunderstood a wish expressed by an earlier poster. I happen to think the wish is a great idea.

    Repeat it for me, do you really think listing calorie information on menus for all items will work effectively at helping people decide to consume less food overall?
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    Lol, so you'll only eat at chain restaurants with posted nutrition information?

    If enough customers wanted that information, it'd be provided. What we don't need is more regulations mandating such information.

    I won't eat at any restaurant that doesn't tell me what is in their food, because I believe strongly in my right to be informed. I imagine anyone with any kind of restricted diet or food allergy would feel the same.

    I wasn't arguing that the regulations need to be there. I was arguing against the idea that people shouldn't expect businesses to conform to what they want. Profits come second to customers.

    And that is your right as a consumer. Though, someone with heavily restricted food options and allergies are generally served better by eating at home.
  • mooncath
    mooncath Posts: 31
    I just tell my friends that when I get stressed, my body can't handle highly processed food, which is mostly true. They don't question it. Sometimes I make up a white lie about why I'm stressed out. Also, I don't know what size you are, but I'm petite so if I tell my friends I need to pack away half the food, they don't think it's weird.
  • Trad_Barbie
    Trad_Barbie Posts: 166 Member
    I won't eat at any restaurant that doesn't tell me what is in their food, because I believe strongly in my right to be informed. I imagine anyone with any kind of restricted diet or food allergy would feel the same.

    I wasn't arguing that the regulations need to be there. I was arguing against the idea that people shouldn't expect businesses to conform to what they want. Profits come second to customers.

    As someone that waited tables for several years, I've never, ever had an allergy cross contamination on my watch. Ever. Kids the elderly, mom... doesn't matter. I've never had someone suffer an allergic reaction to their allergens in my section. Why? Because they ask if there's an allergen in a certain dish, I know the answer, I inform them. They order appropriately. I pass the message along to the kitchen. Everyone leaves happy, and alive.
    Edit: I bend over backwards and go the extra mile to ensure there's nothing on their plate that could harm them. Anyone in food service would gladly do that for their guest.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    I agree with what has been said.

    Also, saving cals for meals out also works.

    Being an intermittent faster I typically eat more than most when I go out. And it fits into my plan.
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
    I won't eat at any restaurant that doesn't tell me what is in their food, because I believe strongly in my right to be informed. I imagine anyone with any kind of restricted diet or food allergy would feel the same.

    I wasn't arguing that the regulations need to be there. I was arguing against the idea that people shouldn't expect businesses to conform to what they want. Profits come second to customers.

    As someone that waited tables for several years, I've never, ever had an allergy cross contamination on my watch. Ever. Kids the elderly, mom... doesn't matter. I've never had someone suffer an allergic reaction to their allergens in my section. Why? Because they ask if there's an allergen in a certain dish, I know the answer, I inform them. They order appropriately. I pass the message along to the kitchen. Everyone leaves happy, and alive.
    Edit: I bend over backwards and go the extra mile to ensure there's nothing on their plate that could harm them. Anyone in food service would gladly do that for their guest.

    Then why argue it should be different at higher levels of management? How is it that you came to the conclusion customers who want to know how many calories they're consuming are "lazy" and "demanding"? If the customers demand it, businesses should invest the money in posting proper nutrition facts, or they will fail. It's that simple.
  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
    I've never had this come up with my friends but I can understand where you are coming from. My friends don't know I'm trying to lose weight. I don't want them to feel self conscious about their own weight and most important I hate being put under a microscope, what I'm eating, if I'm losing ect. I am close and love my 2 bf and even if they would say something silly about my food choice I wouldn't be rude or yell at them
  • cparter
    cparter Posts: 754 Member
    Honestly...just order what you want and forget what they think. Your success in living a more healthy lifestyle just pisses them off becuase it makes them realize how lazy they are themselves so they take it out on you.
    This^

    The problem with many of us today is we worry about what others think or allow them to have power over you that is not theirs.

    If you want to be healthy, do what is necessary and don't follow the crown. Peer pressure may be a beast but greater is he that treads their own path.
  • Trad_Barbie
    Trad_Barbie Posts: 166 Member
    Then why argue it should be different at higher levels of management? How is it that you came to the conclusion customers who want to know how many calories they're consuming are "lazy" and "demanding"? If the customers demand it, businesses should invest the money in posting proper nutrition facts, or they will fail. It's that simple.

    How would that equate to a fail?

    There are calorie counts available, if you ask, for most chains if not all thus there's no real reason to print it on the menus. You want to know that badly, ask- if they don't have it available eat somewhere else. They're under no obligation to make sure you make healthy choices, that's your job. All the tools are there, people just need to do their research.

    Edited: typo queeeeeeen!
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
    The problem with that is that there is literally nothing that's below 1,000 calories on most chain restaurant menus. Unless it's otherwise stated or obvious (small dinner salad, ect.) Places like Applebee's? Chili's? Good luck.

    I will go to these places and only eat half of the entree in order to counter that. Voila, 500 calories. Take the rest to go and have a yummy lunch or dinner the next day.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    This Huff Post article seems to conclude that listing calorie information actually may have boosted sales in some locations. It seems the consumers simply ordered different items and preferred overall to know how many calories they were eating. The demand for convenience food did not appear to shrink.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/mcdonalds-calorie-counts-nutrition_n_1882266.html
  • FirecrackerJess
    FirecrackerJess Posts: 276 Member
    Forget my friends, I get this from my family in my same house ALL DAY. Sucks, I know.
  • FirecrackerJess
    FirecrackerJess Posts: 276 Member
    The problem with that is that there is literally nothing that's below 1,000 calories on most chain restaurant menus. Unless it's otherwise stated or obvious (small dinner salad, ect.) Places like Applebee's? Chili's? Good luck.

    I will go to these places and only eat half of the entree in order to counter that. Voila, 500 calories. Take the rest to go and half a yummy lunch or dinner the next day.

    I did this Friday night. A friend and I went to Applebess, and I got their Clubhouse Sandwich, DELICIOUS. Only at half so ended up about 500 calories. Plus we had just gone about 2 hours of walking at First Friday so I was ok with it.
  • JL2513
    JL2513 Posts: 867 Member
    Your friends shouldn't be giving you a hard time for making such positive choices. It's also your life and your personal choice. Honestly, I'd just go ahead and continue making the choices I want for myself, regardless of what they say or do. Am I really going to jeopardize something as important as my health and well being just because of what people are saying? Not worth it.
  • Macstraw
    Macstraw Posts: 896 Member
    Why don't you just tell your friends to shove off and let you eat whatever you please? Not really their business, now is it?

    I do agree having a "lite and fit" menu is annoying. I feel like I'm being judged every time I order off of it. I wish everyone would just list the nutritional information and call it a day.

    The problem with that is that there is literally nothing that's below 1,000 calories on most chain restaurant menus. Unless it's otherwise stated or obvious (small dinner salad, ect.) Places like Applebee's? Chili's? Good luck. And overhauling their menu's all at once would be really costly and inefficient.

    Edited for typo correction.

    But Adding calorie information seems like it would be a small modification. The overhaul shouldn't be that expensive when they have to do it several times a year to advertise their specials. I don't think a bit of extra ink costs that much more , personally.

    Here in Western Australia the fast food chains have been regulated so they HAVE to by law show the kilojoules per meal and have a nutritional fact sheet or panel on the packaging for take away or nearby on the wall for eat in. Makes choosing a lot easier.

    Certain fast food chains here in the states do that, too. McDonalds comes to mind instantly. However I think everyone is referring to places like Applebee's, Chili's, TGIFridays, ect.

    I ate at Friday's last night - they have some menu items that they list as under 750 calories & under 500 calories. I had the "Sizzling Chicken & Spinach", it was a boneless chicken breast with a balsamic glaze served over leaf spinach & sautéed yellow squash & zucchini, with a side of a mozzarella/tomato salad. It was a decent sized portion & it logs at 400 calories. It was good enough that I would order it even if I wasn't being careful about what I'm eating......
  • SunKissed1989
    SunKissed1989 Posts: 1,314 Member
    I ate at Friday's last night - they have some menu items that they list as under 750 calories & under 500 calories. I had the "Sizzling Chicken & Spinach", it was a boneless chicken breast with a balsamic glaze served over leaf spinach & sautéed yellow squash & zucchini, with a side of a mozzarella/tomato salad. It was a decent sized portion & it logs at 400 calories. It was good enough that I would order it even if I wasn't being careful about what I'm eating......

    This sounds delicious - I wonder if it's available at the UK TGIs
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    Why do you care what other people think about what you're ordering? Do you care what they think about the clothes you put on in the morning?

    Order what you want. Yes, they might give you flak about it. I remember ordering something off the kids menu at Olive Garden once and got a lot of flack for it when I did it. BUT when the meal came, they all looked at my portion and said, "Hey....that's the perfect size portion and not gargantuan like mine....and you didn't have to split with anyone to get it like that!" Duh!!!

    Just like going to the gym. It's not a contest to see who looks best while pumping iron. You're going to work out and improve yourself. what other people think is irrelevant.
  • rydn4h2o
    rydn4h2o Posts: 255
    Honestly...just order what you want and forget what they think. Your success in living a more healthy lifestyle just pisses them off becuase it makes them realize how lazy they are themselves so they take it out on you.

    ^^this

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